Woman, 73, describes confronting alleged shoplifter in Campbell River, B.C.
CTV
She's not comfortable being called a hero and doesn't want her name made public, but the woman who's being celebrated for de-masking a suspected shoplifter on Saturday is telling her story to CTV News.
The 73-year-old woman was shopping at the Campbell River, B.C. Walmart store when she noticed a man stuffing roast beef into his backpack.
He was exiting the store when she had a confrontation with the individual.
"I was frustrated that this guy is going to get away with $300-$400 worth of groceries. It's going to put a hardship on everybody," she told CTV News on Monday.
The woman notified Walmart staff about the man's actions, but says she was told they weren't allowed to do anything about it, especially in light of a security guard being stabbed at the store just one month before.
The woman and another shopper confronted the man as he was leaving the store in a video that has now gone viral.
"He grabbed for his bike and had the shopping cart all at the same time," she said. "That's when I (saw) the opportunity to grab the balaclava and rip it off his face."
The senior and the other shopper both grabbed the cart and struggled to get it away from the man before he left the store.
"I was standing at the lottery booth and he came pushing his grocery cart filled, literally filled to the top with groceries, pushing towards me as he was exiting the door," she said.
